On November 1, 2023, in a live ceremony held online, Larry Williams, executive director of the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA), announced the winners of the 2023 SFIA Industry Project Awards. The “SFIA Awards” recognize excellence in the use of SFIA-certified cold-formed steel (CFS) products.
“This is the inaugural year for the SFIA Awards, and we’re extremely proud of all the submissions we received,” Williams said. “SFIA-labeled steel has passed physical tests for mechanical properties, coatings and manufactured dimensions, so our award winners are certainly ‘top tier’ in steel framing manufacturing and construction excellence.”
The SFIA 2023 Industry Project Awards focus on CFS manufacturing and construction. The awards program is a complement to the Design Excellence and Creative Detail Awards governed by CFSEI, the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute. Architects, engineers, manufacturers, distributors and contractors entered their projects in the 2023 competition.
The Winners of 7 Steel Framing Categories
- Efficient Use of CFS Framing: ADTEK Engineers, Inc. for Atlantic Crossing Building III, Delray Beach, Florida
- Conversion from Another Material: Negwer Materials for Valley Park Fire Station #2, Valley Park, Missouri
- Architectural Design Detail: ADTEK Engineers, Inc. for UVA Health Orthopedic Center Ivy Road, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Sustainable Project: CEMCO for the University of Hawaii Atherton Hall Expansion and Renovation, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Mid-Rise Project: R.A. Smith, Inc. for 1122 W. Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Commercial Project: ClarkDietrich/Competitive Interiors, Inc. for I-X Center Interior Demising Wall Buildout, Cleveland, Ohio
- Curtain Wall Project: ClarkDietrich for Grand Junction High School, Grand Junction, Colorado
1. ADTEK Engineers, Inc.
Atlantic Crossing Building III, Delray Beach, Florida
Efficient Use of CFS Framing: Atlantic Crossing Building III, completed by SFIA member ADTEK Engineers, Inc., used cold-formed steel (CFS) framing and faced challenges during design and construction. The first level featured curved openings, wing walls and unique exterior soffit features. Levels 2-5 were supported by load-bearing CFS walls. The load-bearing levels also had to support curved wing walls and a green wall attached to the CFS framing. The installation of soffit framing was also challenging due to the post-tensioned podium slab, particularly in areas with significant cantilevers. Special detailing was required to care for these areas without supplemental structural steel support.
Read more about the ADTEK Engineers’ Atlantic Crossing Building III project.
2. Negwer Materials
Valley Park Fire Station #2, Valley Park, Missouri
Conversion from Another Material: SFIA member Negwer Materials helped convert the Valley Park Fire Station #2 in Valley Park, Mo., from a bar-joist truss system to cold-formed steel (CFS) trusses. The conversion to CFS reduced the amount of steel needed for the job and kept the project on schedule. The CFS trusses were prefabricated off site, which helped meet both the architectural and structural design requirements. Valley Park Fire Station #2 faced design challenges requiring special load and deflection criteria due to the top-chord bearing trusses spanning up to 74 feet.
The project featured special collaboration among MiTek, Negwer Materials and TJ Wies Contracting, all SFIA members.
Read more about Negwer Materials’ win for the Valley Park Fire Station 2 project.
3. ADTEK Engineers, Inc.
UVA Health Orthopedic Center Ivy Road, Charlottesville, Virginia
Architectural Design Detail: UVA Health Orthopedic Center Ivy Road, Charlottesville, Va., features various cold-formed steel (CFS) systems and products that helped provide solutions to connection issues and accommodate key transitions. SFIA member ADTEK Engineers, Inc. lead a team in using CFS box beams. The box beams were employed in conjunction with vertical structural steel tube framing to support a curtain wall opening. The design necessitated temporary framing and infill for fireproofing. Interior framing design was provided at limited locations. ADTEK also provided alternate details for stud blocking and reinforcement details for notched by-pass studs.
The project partners included ADTEK Engineers, Inc., Capital Interior Contractors, Inc., ClarkDietrich Building Systems, Inc. and L&W Supply Corporation, all SFIA members.
Read more details about this ADTEK project here.
4. CEMCO
University of Hawaii Atherton Hall, Honolulu, Hawaii
Sustainable Project: The University of Hawaii Atherton Hall expansion and renovation project, submitted by SFIA member CEMCO, LLC, involved maintaining the historical facade of an original university building while also adding six levels of new construction and an extension to the structure. CEMCO and the project team faced plenty of coordination and construction complexities due to the retention of the facade. The load-bearing nature of the project also required meeting precise stud length tolerances, providing customized packaging and using heavy-gauge framing materials. In the end, the project — which features interior cold-formed steel (CFS) floor joist framing and load-bearing CFS walls — was completed on schedule.
Read more about CEMCO’s win for the University of Hawaii Atherton Hall expansion and renovation project.
5. R.A. Smith, Inc.
1122 W. Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Mid-Rise Project: The Lipe Property Company project at 1122 W. Chicago, Chicago, Ill., submitted by SFIA member R.A. Smith, Inc., made efficient use of cold-formed steel (CFS) products to save time and money. CFS framing was successfully used particularly at the roof level. Here, the combination of hot-rolled steel tubes and CFS joists supported the floors and walls, achieving a desired visual effect at the building’s focal point — an attractive rooftop amenity space. CFS framing also played a role in the staggered placement of windows, which are a noteworthy architectural feature of 1122 W. Chicago. The result of the CFS framing is a visually stunning arrangement of windows staggered beautifully around the building.
Read more about R.A. Smith’s win for the 1122 W. Chicago, Chicago project.
6. ClarkDietrich/Competitive Interiors, Inc.
I-X Center Interior Demising Wall Buildout, Cleveland, Ohio
Commercial Project: The I-X Center project in Cleveland, Ohio, submitted by SFIA member ClarkDietrich, involved framers with Competitive Interiors, Inc. constructing a 1,000-linear-foot demising wall with free span heights of 58 to 80 feet. The use of cold-formed steel (CFS) products helped meet the project budget. The building’s dimensions presented unique challenges. The wall spans were so great a truss-like double wall was needed to fulfill the design. The 80-foot members were too long to be transported in tact, so splices were designed to create the 80-foot members on site.
Watch this video, featuring Competitive Interiors’ framers at work at I-X Center.
Read more about the ClarkDietrich’s I-X Center interior demising wall project.
7. ClarkDietrich
Grand Junction High School, Grand Junction, Colorado
Curtain Wall Project: The Grand Junction High School, Grand Junction, Colo., involved a partnership between SFIA member ClarkDietrich and The Blythe Group. The job used structural steel framing for curtainwalls and metal paneling for the facade, resulting in an efficient design and cost savings.
Read more about ClarkDietrich’s Grand Junction High School project here.
SFIA Awards Judging Criteria
A panel of industry representatives judged all 2023 SFIA Awards entries based on the following criteria:
- Design Quality, such as the efficient and sustainable use of cold-formed steel (CFS) products
- Installation Complexity, including conflict resolution, timeframe challenges, etc.
- Manufacturing Complexity, including custom orders, panelization, special material sourcing and more
- Overall Job Quality, including the quality of alignments, finishes and other attention to detail
- Conversion from Alternative Framing Material, reflecting how steel framing lowered a structure’s weight, or added stories, or helped lower the project’s builders’ risk insurance, etc.
Steel Framing Industry Association
The Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) provides its members with exclusive access to technical cold-formed steel (CFS) framing services, including the SFIA Steel Framing Learning Portal. SFIA member services include access to market data, market analysis, technical design guides, architectural services, environmental product declarations, CFS certification and more.
Additional Resources
- SFIA’s Steel Framing Learning Portal Has Metal Framing Education (24/7/365)
- Again, Who Says It Is More Sustainable to Build With Wood Than Steel?
- Sorting Apples from Oranges — Comparing Evaluation Services with Third-Party Certification